Five Beers & A Pool Table
by PerditusFic
Summary: The engagement is off. Gideon is in for some serious anger management sessions. And now Emma and Regina meet every week to play pool...because that's normal for once.


**Everyone was a little inspired by last week's episode. It's probably going to be ruined tonight (4/9/2017 - Sunday, Episode 16)**

 **It was supposed to be more brotp than otp but I've been writing Regina and Emma in love and/or falling in love since 2014 so everything feels like romance no matter what even though I have (and still do) ship them with different people all the time.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

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"Seriously, Regina?" Emma sighed. "Is this going to be a recurring thing with you? Because if it is, I think you're going have to be Leroy's bunk mate."

Sitting the pool cue down between her boots, Regina pressed her palms over the tip stick and looked at Emma as if she had no idea what she was talking about. Emma rolled her eyes at the innocent look she feigned. A look which never really worked to its fullest intent when your best friend was the Evil Queen in her past life.

"I don't know what you mean." Regina said with a grin.

"This is the fifth time you've called in a fake bar fight. I think at some point I can legally arrest you for that."

"But you wouldn't." Regina smirked at her and handed her a pool stick. "Although, Sheriff, it is your own fault because you keep falling for it."

"What am I supposed to do? Ignore your call and hope you're not being choked out in an alley?"

"I have magic."

"You're still my friend. I'm supposed to worry."

Regina shook her head and grabbed the shot glass that sat on the edge of the pool table. She handed it to Emma and then took the other. Emma raised an eyebrow at her.

"Next round is on the loser."

"Might as well pay now." Emma muttered and took the shot and set it aside. "I call break."

"Be my guest, Swan."

Emma leaned forward over the table, lining up the stick with the cue ball. She raised an eyebrow over to Regina. "How long have you been here practicing? Like thirty minutes?"

"Ten minutes. And I'm buying you drinks, are you really complaining?" Regina rolled her eyes and gestured for Emma to hurry up. The blonde rolled her eyes and took her shot at the triangle. It wasn't the greatest break but she'd take it. She lined up another shot with a deep breath, ignoring Regina's eyes on her.

"What are you looking at?" Emma mumbled and hit the cue ball. She was aiming for the orange one but it bounced off the edge and she swore under her breath. Regina smirked as she walked around the table to get an angle on balls four and ten.

"You, of course."

"Why?"

"After several weeks of being what I think is qualified as a very good friend, you're still tense."

"Tense?"

"Yes." Regina replied, succeeding at smoothly dropping the two balls into the pocket. Emma pulled a face at the action. "You haven't loosened up in the slightest. Five beers and a few well matched games of pool would do it for most people."

"Well I'm not most people, Regina. You know that."

Regina sighed and pursed her lips. "I know. I just thought I could help."

"You being my friend and taking your time to do this helps. It does."

"We've never had a problem with sharing things with each other, Emma." She said taking another shot at the eleven ball. It rolled into the corner pocket much to Emma's annoyance. If Regina kept this up, she'd never have another turn. "You're the one who decided to bring walls into our relationship."

"What walls?" Emma sighed. "I don't want to talk about something and suddenly I have walls? That doesn't make any sense. That was your specialty."

"I just want you to talk to me." Regina argued and that certainly opened another door in this conversation. Emma's eyebrows lifted in surprise from the tone of Regina's voice.

"Oh, now I see what this is about. I've talked to you about my shit with Hook. It sucks. Yeah, I want to cry sometimes and other times I want to punch something but you know that." Regina averted her eyes for a moment. "If you want to hang out, instead of using Hook or a fake bar fight as an excuse, you can just text me."

"I'm aware."

"Okay yeah. So, what?"

"What?" The brunette frowned.

"The Hook thing was probably a cover for something after the third week. Just tell me what's going on because this isn't about me, it's about you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Now who has walls everywhere?" Emma snorted.

"Is this it for us? We've… _you've_ given everyone their happy ending and this is what we're left with? Heartbreak and dead lovers."

"Who says this can't be it?" She asked, receiving a skeptical look. "Getting passed all the relationship drama, how bad is it really? You and me playing pool every Friday night. Having family dinner on Tuesdays. Movie marathons with Henry. And maybe someday another pirate…" Regina raised an eyebrow. "Or another thief…or even a stable boy comes along. Or anyone we want comes along to add to it. Is that so bad for a happy ending?"

"Never expected any wise words from you, Swan." Regina said going back to the game again. This time she missed and Emma was finally getting her turn.

"My best friend passed it on to me." Emma shrugged. She came around to where Regina stood and bumped their shoulders together. "But seriously, if you think about it you and me both have been looking for happy endings in the wrong places. It wasn't our boyfriends…or 24 hour fiancés. It was family and love. We have that now."

"And?"

Emma shrugged and took her shot. She made it and grinned while Regina grimaced that she made two balls into pockets. "Why not see where that leads us?"

"But-" Regina started to say back.

"Regina. All that matters is that..." Emma paused, sticking her tongue out in concentration. The mayor watched on in amusement. "...I have your back and you have mine, right?"

"Of course."

Emma smiled and nodded. "Good. Next round is on you. I just blew your mind."

She laughed as Regina stood there a little stunned. She lined up the stick and the cue ball with seven. She hit it and it bounced off two other balls and almost as if by magic, the last few balls on the table fell into pockets. That left the eight ball for Emma to take a crack at.

She threw up her hands in triumph. "Swan for the win!"

"I'll go get the round." Regina let a smile pull the corner of her lips but still attempted a sigh for her defeat.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." One of those viking guys Emma could never remember the name of that was always there, walked by her. She lifted her hand up and he shrugged his shoulders and humored her with a high five and a chuckle. "Yep, this is a my kind of happy ending."


End file.
